Penne in Cream Sauce with Sausage

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

2/3 cup dry white wine

14 1/2 ounce can diced peeled tomatoes

1 cup whipping cream

6 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1 pound penne pasta

1 cup Parmesan cheese

MELT butter and oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until golden and tender, about 7 minutes.

REMOVE sausage from casings, crumble and add to skillet and saute until golden brown and cooked, breaking up with the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Drain excess drippings. Add wine and boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and simmer 3 minutes. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in 4 tablespoons parsley. Season to taste.

COOK pasta until tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta and pour into a warm large bowl. Pour sauce over pasta, add 3/4 cup of cheese and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and cheese and serve immediately.

Orecchiette With Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flavored olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 pound Italian sausage, a combination of hot and sweet according to your taste, cut into
bite size pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup broccoli rabe water
1 pound orecchiette
1 pound broccoli rabe, cooked
freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

HEAT oil and stir in garlic in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and
saute until meat is cooked and loses its raw look. Salt and pepper to taste, and saute one
minute. Add the rabe water. Raise heat and cook until sauce is hot.
COOK orecchiette in rapidly boiling water until al dente. Drain orecchiette. Return drained
orecchiette to the pot.
PLACE over medium heat and stir in 3/4 cup of broccoli rabe and
sausage sauce. Using a wooden spoon, toss together for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour
into a large serving platter or bowl. Spoon remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with
Pecorino Romano cheese.

Baked Pasta with Sausage and Four Cheeses

Ingredients:
2 pounds pasta, rigatoni or other
1/4 cup pancetta, very thinly sliced, if you can't find pancetta, use regular bacon
2 1/2 pounds Italian sausage, casing removed, hot or sweet
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
8 ounces mixed mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons julienne basil
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 pounds ricotta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups grated provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
28 ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups grated pecorino Romano cheese or Parmesan

COOK pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until only halfway cooked, according to
package directions. Drain, and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Toss with a minimal
amount of olive oil to prevent sticking.
COOK pancetta or bacon in large skillet over medium heat until well browned, and crisp, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. Add sausage to drippings in skillet and cook, breaking up large pieces, until well browned. Transfer to paper towel. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add onion, carrot, mushrooms, basil and parsley. Cook until onion is tender, and mushrooms are golden brown. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Preheat oven to 400F.
SPRAY a large baking pan well with cooking spray. Place ricotta in a large bowl. Gradually
whisk in cream. Stir in stock. Add pasta, pancetta, sausage, onion mixture, provolone,
Gorgonzola, tomatoes, and 1 cup Romano. Season with salt and pepper and stir well.
TRANSFER to prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining Romano. Cover and bake 35 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until very golden brown, and bubbly.

TIP: Using a variety of mushrooms makes this dish fabulous.

Italian gift

Great taste, great smell!

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausages
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and sliced
2 yellow onions, sliced1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Marsala wine
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound rigatoni pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

HEAT the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes.

REMOVE the sausages from the pan.Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and basil and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir until incorporated, then add the Marsala, tomatoes with their juice, and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Bring to a simmer.

CUT the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each. Return the sausages to the pan. Simmer uncovered until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.

COOK pasta while the sauce simmers. Drain the pasta and add to the thickened sauce; toss to combine. Spoon into individual bowls and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.

Warm Pasta Salad (Grilled Eggplant, Sausage, and Mushrooms Special)

6 Servings

Ingredients:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil, divided, plus olive oil for brushing
2 eggplants (about 1 lb), sliced
Cooking Spray
Salt and Pepper
1/2 lb Portobello mushrooms, caps and stems separated, caps left whole, stems trimmed and sliced lengthwise
1 large sweet onion cut into 3/4" slices
2 large beefsteak tomatoes sliced into 3/4" slices
1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb pasta
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup basil, julienne
1 tsp thyme, finely chopped
1 cup shaved Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan)


MARINADE: In a bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup olive oil. Place eggplants in a zip-top plastic bag. Pour in marinade and wait for 1 hour, turning bag every now and then.

SPRAY grill racks well with cooking spray and preheat to medium-high heat. Remove eggplant from marinade, shaking off excess; reserve marinade. Season eggplant, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes with salt and pepper and brush well with olive oil.
GRILL vegetables and sausage until well browned and softened and sausage is cooked through. Remove to a cutting board. Coarsely chop all vegetables and slice sausage. Combine and set aside.
COOK pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente; drain.Take 1 cup of reserved marinade and whisk with remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, parsley, basil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Return drained pasta to pot. Add vegetables, sausage and dressing and combine well.
ADD shaved Romano, toss to coat and serve immediately.

Angel Hair with Italian Sausage, Fennel and White Beans

5 minutes to prepare
30 minutes to cook

4-6 servings


Ingredients
1 pound Italian sausage*
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 can (28 ounces) peeled tomatoes
1 can (19 ounces) Cannellini beans, drained
2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
1 bulb Fennel, thinly sliced
Salt & Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 box Angel Hair
1 tablespoon Fresh basil, chopped

BRING a large pot of water to a boil.
ADD sausage to a large skillet and brown over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cannellini beans. Season with salt and black pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. HEAT olive oil in a medium skillet. Add fennel and sauté until tender. Add cooked fennel to sauce.
COOK pasta according to package directions. Drain and add hot pasta to sauce. Mix well. Sprinkle with chopped basil.

Tip: *May substitute Italian flavored turkey sausage.
Pairs good with red wine.